The Book of Daniel
by HelloJudy
Summary: What happens to Castiel after being overpowered by the Leviathan, seen through the eyes of a young boy's afterlife.  Season 7, post "Hello Cruel World."  WIP but I have every intention of completing this.
1. Chapter 1

**The Book of Daniel**

_Supernatural: Season 7, post "Hello Cruel World." What happens to Castiel after being overpowered by the Leviathan, seen through the eyes of a young boy's afterlife._

_Castiel & Dean. No slash, just an ardent admirer of the characters, their profound bond and the actors who portray them. A head's up, this is about 60% OC. I do miss our boys, but for whatever the reason, this is the story that came to me.  
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_A/N:__ This fanfic is my first on many levels. First writing after a 6-year hiatus, first writing SPN, first OC, and my first developed story. I know you understand how we as FF authors pour our hearts into creating a story for the TV show & fandom we love, so thank you in advance if you R&R. Also big thanks to Jim J.—I can't finish a chapter with out his guidance. _

_All religious and afterlife assumptions are for story purposes._

_Disclaimer:__ Supernatural and its characters belong to Eric Kripke. Title borrowed from the Bible. _

Chapter One

Ever since he could remember, he was called Daniel. He doesn't remember much of his life, but he knew his name and that he loved sports and reading comic books. He used to dream of being a hero, to grow up and fight bad guys and save the day. To his mother, he was her little Superman because of his fearless and enthusiastic way of tackling a chore, as if it were some adventure to conquer, evil to be had.

They were in their car the last time they were together, driving home from the grocery store with food and supplies for a pending winter storm. It was nighttime and the roads were slippery. His mother drove slowly, but the driver of another car failed to heed the same caution. He turned too fast for him to control and swerved violently, t-boning Daniel and his mother off an overpass.

Daniel didn't know it was a reaper stretching her hand to him. He saw a beautiful woman with kind eyes and a gentle smile. "Don't be afraid," she whispered. "It'll be all right."

He took her hand, crawled out of the car and before they walked off into the night, looked back to see his mother in the mangled vehicle. He thought she might be asleep because of the peaceful look on her face even though blood dripped from her forehead. She'll follow when she wakes, he assumed.

Daniel's mind couldn't comprehend how they arrived to this magical land in which they now stood.

He had been on cold city pavement, underneath the amber glow of a streetlight as he watched the smoke raise from the over-turned car.

And in a few paces lasting mere seconds, there they were, high on a grassy hilltop that overlooked the world before them. He gazed at the horizon, astonished at how the emerald green hills rose and fell then melded with snow-capped mountains. At their base were fields of gold quilted together like a blanket, and the treetops dotting the distance gave the promise of more wonders to be seen.

The balmy air warmed his skin and the scent it carried reminded him of summer days at the beach. Because the sky was a fantastic swirl of pinks and orange and copper, he asked, "Is this heaven?"

"This, Daniel, is a peaceful place where you can run and play and laugh. And you won't have to worry about anything." Her voice was soothing, like his mother's.

"When will my mom get here?" He sounded so innocent.

She crouched down at eye level, cupped his face in her hands and replied, "I'm sorry Daniel."

He saw the look of regret on her face and wept.

She gathered him close, stroked his hair. "You don't have to worry about anything," she repeated in his ear. And when his sobs tempered, she vanished.

He took a breath, adjusting to his sudden solitude and stared out into the land.

This would be his home now.

He was 11 when he died.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Where Daniel resided, time could not be measured with clocks nor sunsets. He wandered the new world, traversing the vast, ever changing land. He slept when he was sleepy and hungered for nothing. He was neither hot nor cold. And though he was alone, he never felt fear. The reaper was correct: he did not have to worry.

It was startling at first, how the landscape transforms on a whim; how one minute he'd be by a lake skipping rocks and the next, in an autumn meadow scattered with fallen leaves.

But eventually and rather quickly, he assimilated to this new habitat—the changes in setting transitioned seamlessly, like stepping from one page to another in a National Geographic. Each majestic locale more familiar to him than the last, he roamed as if it were a neighborhood he'd known all his life—or afterlife.

Some days he'd like to run through a cornfield just to see how far he could go and where he ended up. Other days he'd lie on a grassy knoll and drift off to a dreamless sleep from counting the snowflakes that fell on a remote mountain.

It used to surprise him when he'd come across other children, but after awhile, it was common to find them. They'd play together and have so much fun that they never realized their games lasted for months. One time he saw a little girl under a willow tree blowing bubbles into the air. Another, he met a boy about his age and they pretended they were swashbuckling pirates fighting for their right over the booty.

They'd part ways with a friendly "see ya'" and a wave, but he never saw the same kid twice. He wondered where they went. Maybe they found their moms. Thinking about it made him sad.

He discovered a garden, which became his favorite place to visit. Trees were massive as redwoods where its leaves and branches fanned out, serving as a canopy overhead. Vines dangled from the branches, moss climbed the bark. The dewy sunlight filtered through the leaves, shimmering in the air like fairy dust. There must have been a pond or lake, because he heard the trickling sound of a waterfall in the distance.

As beautiful as it was, its main feature were its flowers, for they were enormous in size and rambled bold with color—reds, violets, whites & pinks—amongst the lush green vegetation.

He imagined this was how Alice felt in Wonderland.

Curious and amazed by their size, he approached the nearest flower. It was a red rose as tall as he, its long crimson petals tightened like a fist. He reached out to touch it, and then his amazement turned to delighted shock when the rose seemed to sigh and unfurled its petals, revealing a smiling baby at its center.

"Oh, wow!" He said, astonished. "Hi buddy." Laughing musically, the adorably chubby infant curled his tiny hand around Daniel's finger and kicked his little feet with glee.

When he stepped back, the rose sensing Daniel's departure, refolded its petals, protecting the infant.

Daniel learned that each flower cradled a different baby in its bud, protecting them in their perfumed scented petals. But if he'd get close enough, they'd blossom at his nearness. It was magic.

The babies never cried and always gurgled and cooed at the sight of him. It made Daniel happy to visit what he dubbed, the Garden of Giggles. He'd return often. Though the garden was never at the same location, he seemed to always know where to find it when he wanted.

This was his existence: forever wandering, unaware of time, without meaning, free of routine. It wasn't an unhappy reality, for he wanted nothing.

But his youthful mind did not understand the dull yet constant ache in his heart.

The more he traveled, the more he forgot his life alive. He couldn't quite remember what kind of dog he'd play fetch with. The comic books he'd read at bedtime.

The color of his mother's eyes.

The only thing he was certain of was that she called him Daniel. And he would never see her again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Daniel spent the day walking the beach. He made a game out of it: walk as far as his legs could take him and then walk backwards stepping only on the footprint he left behind. He walked the long stretch of shoreline, spacing out his footprints carefully and neatly.

After plodding for miles, his feet sinking into the wet sand, he made his way backwards as a test to his balance and coordination. He concentrated on his footing as the waves crashed the beach, their ebbs and flows perfectly synchronized.

When he grew bored, he plopped into the sand and observed the line of footprints curving along the shoreline. Not bad, he thought.

He then turned his back on the ocean horizon and climbed up a sand dune, kept walking until the sand at his feet transitioned into mossy green earth and the sunny beach setting was now a dense forest with which he was well acquainted.

As he entered the Garden, he saw a girl about nine, in pink pajamas, sitting cross-legged under a shade. She just stared at the gigantic flowers, all their long petals curled inward.

"Hey," he greeted as if long-time friends, but he'd never met her until now.

She looked up at him and smiled innocently. "Hi. What is this place and why are the flowers so humongous?" She asked with child-like curiosity.

"I call it the Garden of Giggles."

The name made her snicker. "Really, why?" she laughed.

"Get closer to one of them and you'll find out," he invited.

She slanted him a suspicious look, but the idea fascinated her. She chose a pink carnation because the color was her favorite and it was pretty with its fringed, puffy petals.

She went up to it slowly, glanced back at Daniel unsure of what was to happen.

"Go on," he encouraged.

She bit her lip in anticipation. Then when the carnation expanded its petals, presenting her with a giggling infant, her eyes went wide with awe.

"There's a baby in here!" She squealed at Daniel, who sat against a tree, enjoying her happiness in the discovery. "Did you see? A baby," she exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.

Leaning over her, she tickled and caressed the baby. Her skin was soft and she responded to the affection with fits of giggles. "Hi, little one. Hello. I'm Elizabeth. It's so nice to meet you. What's your name?" As Elizabeth asked, a feeling gradually came over her.

Daniel noticed the change in her mood when her baby gibberish went silent. She stood so still, yet unsettled. "Hey, you OK over there?" He asked, concerned.

"Um, yeah." The carnation compressed when Elizabeth went to the next flower, a white lily with long white petals. She didn't bother to look at Daniel, but instead took a peek at the next infant the flower revealed to her. The flowers exhaled then inhaled as she passed them, moving from one to another trying to catch a glimpse of each baby.

"What are you doing," asked Daniel.

"She has to be here. She just has to." Elizabeth's search became frantic, weaving back and forth between pregnant roses, lilies, carnations, and camellias.

"Who?" Daniel demanded as he tried to keep up with her.

Finally, she came upon a white magnolia, where it lowered before her and unfolded its silky wide petals. "Oh my God!" Elizabeth gasped, looked at Daniel through a well of tears. "My sister. This is my sister, Emily. Oh my God." She wanted to pick her up, but was afraid to touch her, as if this moment was too good to be true.

"I remember now," she said as the long forgotten memories came rushing back to her, the sadness in her voice making her seem much older than she looked.

"It was my fault. Daddy said I was never to play with matches. They're too dangerous. But I didn't listen." She picked the baby up gingerly, cradling her to her chest. "Oh Emily," she whispered. "I'm so sorry." Emily giggled in her arms.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder, as if something appeared suddenly. "There they are!"

"Who? I don't see anything?" Elizabeth carried her out of the garden, deeper into the dense woods. "Wait." Daniel followed. "Where are you going? You can't take her!"

"I have to." Elizabeth walked fast yet with a steady pace incited by an unwavering purpose. "Can't you hear them?"

"Hear who?" Daniel tried to keep up, his legs eating as much distance as possible. Her strides were effortless.

She saw exactly where she was going.

"My parents. They're calling for us." Her voice sounded faraway, almost dream-like.

"Wait. Please," Daniel urged as he pushed through branches, hopped over rocks and logs.

With Daniel in close pursuit behind her, she entered into a clearing where the sunlight was unfiltered by trees.

"Where are you going?" He demanded, but it was too late.

With a sudden gust of wind, they were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The leaves that kicked up with the wind began to settle as Daniel tried to wrap his mind around what just happened. He fell to his knees, watched the leaves float on to the ground.

Their abrupt disappearance punctuated the silence and for the first time in this long solitude, he felt truly lonely.

She found her sister. She saw her parents and got to be with them. It wasn't fair, he decided. Why was she allowed to be with her family and he left behind? He never did anything wrong, not that he knew of. Was he bad?

"I'm sorry," he whimpered an apology to both no one in particular and to whomever was in charge of putting him in this place. "I'm sorry, OK!" Is that what they wanted to hear? It was a bitter apology as his plea fell on deaf, absent ears.

He hadn't wanted anything before. But knowing that there _is _more out there…that his mother could be waiting for him…that others can actually leave like Elizabeth did, he wanted so badly to go too.

His grief heightened, rapidly turned to anger. He gripped blades of grass in his hands, tightened and felt fingernails dig into his skin. His body seemed to shake with rage and no longer able to hold it, he screamed.

He screamed so loud his lungs were on fire. The anger, frustration, this nothingness that he realized he's tired off, coalesced into a furious beast that clawed at him from the inside. He threw his fists hard to the ground, grunted and screamed with the punches.

All of a sudden, the ground he was pummeling started to quake and his fury was pushed aside by the abrupt panic and chaos. The land shifted thunderously, cracking beneath him. He rose and tried to run among the pandemonium.

"The Garden!" He remembered the babies, but the thought was fleeting as he lost his footing and tumbled into the freshly opened chasm.

His body crash-landed on something jagged and he roughly rolled down a seemingly endless graveled hill. When he finally hit bottom, he moaned in excruciating pain, stunned his body was capable of feeling such agony. He couldn't remember when he last felt physical pain. His blurred vision cleared and he saw where he was.

This landscape was frighteningly unfamiliar. He found himself surrounded by towering, ominous cliffs of black rock and jagged, serrated hills that soared into a bleak sky. Its dark shades of charcoal and black were a stark difference from the colorful, lush wonderland in which he's made his home for the last unknown decades.

Even during nightfall, the star-speckled sky he's come to know was always filled with the luminous promise of a vigilant moon.

Here, the sky was gloomy and overcast with a mournful, perpetual feeling of hope lost.

Shivering, he crossed his arms. He was cold. When did he ever feel this cold? Fear crept up like icy fingers along his spine and twisted around his heart. He felt the terror knot in the pit of his gut, tasted its bile.

Mustering as much strength as he could from what little he had left, he gathered himself up and followed a coarse, stony path along a mountainous wall. His steps were short and faltering, from both the chill and the fear and the pain that wracked his bones.

He rubbed his arms in a feckless effort for warmth and darted his gaze across the desolate land, searching for any signs of life. But to no avail. The weight of despair was permeable.

He sniveled as he continued along the path, not knowing where else to go or how long he'd been there. Every moment was infinite. It felt like miles, years. Paralyzed with fear, his legs would buckle and collapse and it would take all his might to pick himself back up. When exhausted, he'd curl up to a ball and sob. He'd shut his eyes tightly, willing, urging, praying for the world to change back to what it was before. This _had_ to be some horrible nightmare. His heart sank every time he opened his eyes.

This emptiness, this deathly silence was driving him mad.

But with labored breath, his broken little body kept on because, what else could he do?

He used the wall for support and took a wobbly step after the other. His stomach coiled with sharp pangs and his throat was dry and parched. He'd forgotten what it was to hunger and thirst. Being in this place reminded him with a vengeance.

He must be dying all over again, he wondered, and wished a hundred times to succumb to it.

Just as he was convinced hope was lost, he felt something in the hardness—deep grooves that were inconsistent to the rest of the texture of the mountain wall. His eyebrows knitted inquisitively, noticed the lines and markings scored into the cliff face. Slanted and triangular lines were slashed into wall like chicken scratch.

He ran his fingers over the etchings and suddenly the seemingly random markings illuminated a crimson red. Like a lit fuse, red sparked and began burning an arched outline in the mountain, wide enough for Daniel's 4'9'' height and slender build.

Could this be a door? Was this the way out? His heart leapt with a desperate hope. There wasn't a knob or a latch. He tried to find a crevice in the edging, but it was sealed. He gave the rock face a shove. It wouldn't budge.

But this had to be something. It just _had _to. He couldn't go any further. His body couldn't take it. He pushed again.

He made another attempt and then another, using different methods. He pushed until his muscles shouted with more pain. He leaned his back into it, hoping his legs would add leverage. But they quaked beneath him.

"Come on!" He tried again and again and again, his desperation escalating towards insanity. "Come on!" He pleaded with clenched teeth. He wanted to get out. He needed to get back to the warmth, the light, to somewhere else other than this damned place.

"Please!" His sobs wracked his shoulders and the tears soaked his face. Defeated and broken, he let his forehead hit the hardness. "Please, please…" he wept and slapped a weak palm to the stone.

It burned instantly. Wincing, he looked at his palm, saw that the triangular markings from the wall seared into his skin.

As he was still reeling from the shock to his hand, the glowing crimson outline and mysterious etchings in the wall brightened, the radiance nearly blinding. But once the light ceased, revealed was a dark entryway where the wall of etchings previously stood.

The half cylinder of darkness was thick and felt frighteningly dormant, as if it were alive and waiting to swallow him up in one gulp.

He tried to control his breathing as he inched closer to the mouth. He was afraid of what lay beyond, but had to find out if this was an exit from this wasteland. With eyes shut, he stepped over the threshold.

He opened his eyes; saw it was pitch-black except for a molecule of light in the far distance. He was on the brink of panic when he searched frantically behind him and felt solid rock. The wall had rematerialized.

He shut his eyes again, took several deep breathes for courage. The only way to go now was towards the spot of light. So he walked towards it, focusing as it grew bigger. He counted each wary step to ward off the claustrophobia creeping up to engulf him.

After three hundred and seventy six agonizing steps, he began to hear the muffled sounds through what was now a square opening of light. The closer he went, the louder and more distinct they became. He heard the grunts and the winces, the pounding of fist against flesh.

The opening was big enough for him to fit through and was about a foot above his height. He saw rocks to offer him elevation, used them and peeked over the edge.

Daniel ducked down, startled for an instant. He thought the man in his sight spotted him, a man whose veins were black and crawled up his neck and face like cobwebs.

His eyes scared him the most, for they were wild and sadistic and looked pleased at the man battered and bloodied at his feet.

This man was naked and struggling to sit up. Daniel couldn't see his face; only his back, which was covered with welts, and his head, bowed as if in defeat.

His hands were cuffed in chains behind him. Those chains were linked to a long master chain leading into the ground.

The evil man spoke. "You thought you were so smart." He said it dripping with disdain. "Lucky for us, you weren't." He backhanded him so hard that the chained man spit blood and slammed to the ground with a thud. The outburst made Daniel wince.

The scary man sauntered off. "I've got to retrieve something a bit more…persuasive," he teased. "Don't you go anywhere." He pronounced each word mockingly with a wicked grin.

Daniel heard the sound of a chamber door opening and then closing. He waited a few beats in case he returned. When he was sure, he lifted himself through the opening that fit just his size, and rushed to the aid of the beaten man lying torqued on the ground.

The man saw through blurred vision a figure emerging from the shadow in the corner.

"Hey! Oh my God…Are you OK? I'm…I'm Daniel. I'm not gonna hurt you. I swear it." The chained man heard him, but it came only as a rippled echo in his head. When his eyes focused, he saw a tawny haired boy, too young to understand the danger that returns. His initial thought: fresh meat for his captors.

"You must leave. He'll be back." He struggled through the debilitating pain. "It's not safe."

Daniel was relieved he wasn't alone. "I can help. We can get out of here together," he urged.

"I can't." He gestured to the chains that bounded his wrists. "No, don't touch them," he snapped when Daniel tried to reach for them. "They'll know if I break free."

"But I wanna help!" That's when they heard a loud sound of metal unlocking.

"Go, now!" He commanded as he strained through a bloody coughing fit.

Daniel scooted off in a hurry, but stopped before going back into the shadows. "Wait, what's your name?"

The man's lungs wanted to give out. He coughed up more blood and managed to say, "Castiel."

…to be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Daniel didn't listen.

Not that he doubted this man's—Castiel's, warning, for his beaten body was evidence enough of the danger returning.

But after sliding feet first into the opening, he decided to remain in the dark hideaway, pushing up on his toes to peer over the edge. The soreness pulsating in his muscles took a back seat in his mind as his curiosity gained control, and he waited in bated breath to see the discovery unfolding before him.

It was a woman who appeared from the far shadows.

Daniel gulped audibly as his mouth instantly went dry. She stood there for an immeasurable space of time, making the silence seem heavier with her presence.

Her hair was long and black and the suit she wore was a vague illusion of normalcy, as it was her eyes that gave her away, full of contempt and evil too awful to be human.

"Well," she began as she strolled towards Castiel, the click of her heels punctuating each casual, prolonged stride. "We should be honored to have such a prestigious guest in our midst. I have to apologize for my comrade. He wasn't showing you the gracious hospitality you so deserve."

She grabbed him by the hair, made him sit up. The movement was startling because she had been so unnervingly composed. Then she blatantly took it upon herself to straddle him.

"My," she purred. "What a yummy looking vessel you have. I could just…" She gave him another once over with a naughty gaze. "Eat you all up," she finished as she combed her fingers through his disheveled dark hair.

She angled her head as if to kiss him. "Has anyone ever asked you if it hurt?"

Castiel only stared at her, his calm blue eyes steady and almost enthralled by her gaze.

Then spat in her face.

With a clenched jaw, her lips tightened in annoyance and after wiping the moisture with her sleeve, yanked his head back in an aggressive snap, exposing his elongated neck. "I asked you: Did. It. Hurt?"

"Did _what _hurt?" It surprised Daniel how defiant Castiel was in his response.

She grabbed his throat, squeezed tight and answered bitterly, "When you fell from heaven." Her laugh was loud and throaty, echoing against the walls as she stood, allowing him crumble to the ground after releasing her hold.

"We're going to be spending a lot of time together, angel face." Using her sleeve, she wiped the remaining moisture from her face. "You could make it easier on yourself by merely cooperating."

Castiel let out a half laugh, an obvious sound of derision.

"Want to let me in on the joke?"

"Leviathans. For ancient beings, I'm surprised how remarkably similar you behave to demons." He said it matter-of-factly to further her annoyance.

Her body tensed, as if she heard the spark of hot wires touching. "What did you say?" The question came out almost quietly as the insult clearly stung.

"You heard me."

She was in his face in two strides, fuming with anger. "You dare compare me to those…filthy, disgusting things. Those cockroaches! I could rip you in half." To prove it, she morphed into game face.

Horror slammed into Daniel like a wall, knocking him back that he stumbled to the ground. In the split second before his fall, the sight of her mouth ferociously enlarging, revealing sharp parasitic teeth and a tongue slit into two prongs engulfed him with sheer terror.

He had to cover his mouth with his hands to suppress the scream exploding from his lungs. His whole body shivered and his breath came as gasps, short and fast like a dying fish on dry land. He clamped his mouth tighter, struggling to quiet the now ragged whimpers, struggling to wrangle his reeling mind from the stunning sight.

He counted as he did with his steps before, concentrating on each number and before he realized, his breathing evened and he found his heart that seemed to have dropped out of his chest.

"OK…OK…" he whispered to himself, summoning what little grain of courage he had left to reach up, albeit shakily, and confront the sight again.

He blinked away more tears and saw with some relief he'd still gone unnoticed and that Castiel was still alive and intact.

That gigantic mouthed monster had returned to her human form and Daniel listened as she spoke to Castiel. Her tone was soft, but the underlying condescension was palpable; that without warning she could flip off that gentle voice and snap his head clean off.

"That's rich, coming from you. Still perched on that high horse even after your fall from grace."

She made him meet her eyes when his gaze drifted. "You don't think we know a little something about something. We rummaged through your drawers while staying in your humble abode. We saw your crushing disappointment in daddy…found that soft spot you have for those Winchesters. Dean, especially," she added with a wink.

"And how you so brazenly thought you could do a better job than the big guy upstairs and prove to the brothers you're the only one who can save the damn universe. You got cocky, angel face. You got drunk with power—_our_ power, and look where you landed." She played with his hair; let her fingers run down the stubble of his face.

"You're rotting down here with the rest of these hopeless souls. Face it, you're forgotten…by the angels, the brothers…by God." She lowered her face closer to his as a daunting emphasis of the futility of his situation. "All you got left is me." Then she squeezed his face in her hand, so forcibly that his lips puckered and his skin mottled red. "Are we having fun yet?"

Daniel watched the woman brutally pound Castiel. He watched as much as his stomach could take. She started with jabs to the gut. They were short and carried a lot of heft, such that he grunted after each punch. Then they became a torrent of blows to his stomach. They were so fast that he had no time to breathe, had to brace himself to absorb each punishing hit.

When Castiel doubled over and coughed more blood, Daniel cowered into a corner and shut his eyes so tightly he saw Technicolor specs floating in the darkness behind his lids. He covered his ears, but he could still hear the brutal sounds. He heard the pounding, the groans of pain, and the violent gasps for air.

Daniel's head was to his knees when it finally became silent. He was unsure how much time had passed. He peeked over the edge and saw only Castiel unbound with a metal cuff clamped to only one wrist. He was lying face down; a mangled pile on the ground.

He pulled himself through the opening, and as he wiped the tear tracks drying on his cheeks, slowly went to sit near him.

Seeing Castiel's body up close—the discolored bruises blossoming at his sides, the welts and bloody gashes across his back—Daniel was on the verge of crying yet again.

He opened his mouth, attempting to say something, but hesitated, not sure what to say. With the way Castiel's eyes looked, glazed and faraway, he wasn't even sure if he noticed him there.

But then the battered man said, "I thought I told you to leave."

Once he heard Castiel speak, the fat tears Daniel held back broke and spilled down his face. "You did." His breath hitched when he replied.

"I don't understand. Why are you still here?" There was genuine inquiry in his voice, not quite what Daniel expected.

"I didn't want to go back out there." Daniel said as he wrung his hands. It was all he could do to tame the anxiety and fright shaking him.

"You certainly do not want to stay in here."

But he was wrong, Daniel thought. He'd rather be afraid and around someone than afraid and all alone. "I wanted to wait for you. I want to get out of here. We can get out together!" He reminded himself to keep his voice low. Those monsters might hear him.

"Daniel," Castiel began, empathizing his fear. "What you witnessed here…its not for a child's eyes. I'm sorry. I understand this must be too much to bear." He stayed very still as he spoke. The tiniest of movements were excruciating. "I appreciate your concern. I do. But its best you leave well enough alone."

"How can you say that? She was going to eat you!" Daniel didn't understand Castiel's lack of distress. "Wh-what are those things anyway? And why are they doing this to you?"

"They are ancient creatures called leviathans, the first monsters in creation. I freed them only to swallow them and take power. They were too…strong for me to contain. They're loose on earth because of me, but some found a way back here…brought me with them for their…amusement." He said it on a cough, but was able to regain his steady breathing.

Then it finally occurred to Castiel to ask, "Where did you come from?" His mind was muddled, disoriented and could feel sleep descend upon him like a lowering weight. Any coherent thought that pushed through the anguish was a small victory in itself.

Daniel focused on the question. It helped pull him from the gnawing apprehension. "Um…I uh, I came from this really nice place. It was sunny and warm. I walk and the land, it changes…a beach, a forest, a garden…" He remembers it faintly like a dream. "Then there was this earthquake," he shut his eyes, shuddering at the memory.

"I ended up in this…horrible place where there's nothing but dark mountains and steep hills. You look over a cliff and there's nothing—completely black. The sky, oh man, it was purple and cloudy. It's really scary. This whole time I've been dead, I've never ever seen a place like that."

"You're a soul?" Castiel deduced and was able to lift his gaze to meet Daniel's. Daniel nodded. "And how did you find me?"

"After walking forever, there was something in the mountain wall. I touched it and this opening appeared. I went in and it led me here. Is this hell?" The question was nearly inaudible, as if speaking it aloud would somehow make it true.

"No, its purgatory. And though I have not seen what you've seen, I believe you landed in its fringes." Castiel went silent and let his eyes fall closed. He was assessing Daniel's situation. And trying to ignore the pain.

He was failing miserably.

"How do you know this?" Daniel wondered.

"I'm an angel of the Lord…or used to be."

"An angel…" Daniel whispered the astonishment. "An angel? Then you can ask God for help. Can't he—"

"No," he interjected. "She was right. He's forgotten me."

"Well, can't you fly out of here?"

"Not that simple. The leviathans rendered me powerless after breaking free of my hold. Now I'm an occupied vessel. I'm useless. I'm practically human."

"What's a vessel?" Daniel asked and saw Castiel smile vaguely, as if a memory passed fondly in his mind.

"It's a meat suit. A human that I'm possessing," he answered when he sensed Daniel's puzzlement.

Daniel remembered his own pain that was once long forgotten until entering this world: Purgatory and its fringes Castiel called it. "I don't understand. I fell down a hill and I _feel _like I fell down a hill. But I don't have a scratch on me. But you…you're..." All banged up, he wanted to say.

"You're a soul and souls take the form of their human selves after they've crossed over. Despite how real your physical sensations are, you actually have no human functionalities. Those monsters took me—vessel and all, because they want to see me bleed. They want to break my bones. Their sense of humor is…cruel. Obviously."

His clinical assessment of his plight baffled Daniel. As if Castiel accepted this fate. As if he didn't care he could soon die—and terribly so.

"All the more reason we should get out of here. We can find a way back to my world." Daniel's voice was hopeful, Castiel thought. But also pointless.

"It's called limbo."

"Huh?"

"Your 'world'. It's called limbo," Castiel repeated, eyes still closed, voice strained. "That's where you've been residing since your death. It's an in-between realm for souls who have moved on from the earthly plane, but are not yet prepared for heaven. Your changing landscape means you're searching for something. You probably don't realize you're searching or what it is you're searching for."

_Limbo._ It has a name, Daniel thought in quiet surprise.

"Listen to me closely." This time Castiel opened his eyes to make Daniel understand. "You must leave."

Daniel shook his head. "Not without you. Come with me."

"This is where I belong here." He said dryly.

"What do you mean?"

"It's not of import. What you need to know is that these things are the oldest monsters in creation and you should be afraid. They can't go beyond purgatory, but somehow you found a backdoor in and they'll use you to gain access into limbo. If they succeed, they'll devour everything in their path."

Daniel thought of the other kids he'd met and the babies.

"You have to leave the way you came in Daniel. Leave and never come back."

"But I can hide. She didn't find me…"

"—No. No, I can't risk having you here."

"Where am I supposed to go? I can't go back out there. I can't even get back into limbo." He felt the panic rise at the edge of his throat.

"You have to keep looking."

"What if they're out there?"

"Impossible. This is the only chamber they have admittance to."

"But…" The memory of being alone in that dark and dead land was becoming all too real. "I'm scared."

"I know. But staying in here is not an option." He reached for Daniel's wrist, gripped tightly, using force as his final plea. "I will not ask you again."

...to be continued...


End file.
